ll looking his
way. Two of the horses had plunged a little at the sudden noise, and Ted
ran forward. Richard stopped his engine, triumphant, his pulses
quickening with a bound.

"Oh, hullo!" cried Ted in joyful excitement. "Where'd you come from, Mr.
Kendrick? Isn't this luck!"

"This is certainly luck," responded Richard, doffing his hat as the
figures by the fire moved his way, the one in brown coming quickly, the
one in green rather more slowly. "Your uncle released me at three and I
rushed for the open. What a day!"

"Isn't it wonderful?" Ruth came up to the brown mare, which was eying
the big car with some resentment. She patted the velvet nose as she
spoke. "Don't you mind, Bess," she reproached the mare. "It's nothing
but a puffing, noisy car. It's not half so nice as you."

She smiled up at Richard and he smiled back. "I rather think you're
right," he admitted. "I used to think myself there was nothing like a
good horse. I'd like to exchange the car for one just now; I'm sure of
that."

"It wouldn't buy any one of ours." Roberta, coming up, glanced from the
big machine to the trio of interested animals, all of which were keeping
watchful eyes on the intruder. "Nonsense, Colonel,--stand still!"

"I don't want to buy one of yours; I want one of my own, to ride back
with you--if you'd let me."

"Anyhow, you can stop and have a bite with us," said Ted, with a sudden
thought. "Can't he, Rob?"

Roberta smiled. "If he is as hungry as he looks."

"Do I look hungry?"

"Starving. So do we, no doubt. Come and have some sandwiches."

"We're going to toast them," explained Ruth, walking back to the fire
with Richard when he had leaped with alacrity over the fence, his hat
left behind, his brown head shining in the sun, his face happier than
any of his fellow-clubmen had seen it in a year, as they would have been
quick to notice if any of them had come upon him now. "We have ginger
ale, too; do you like ginger ale?"

"Immensely!" Richard eyed the preparations with interest. "How do you
toast your sandwiches?"

"On forks of wood; Ted's going to cut them."

"Please let me." And the guest fell to work. He found a keen enjoyment
in preparing these implements, and afterward in the process of toasting,
which was done every-one-for-himself, with varying degrees of success.
The sandwiches were filled with a rich cheese mixture, and the result of
toasting them was a toothsome morsel most gratifying to the hungry
pal